After their strike, justice auxiliaries announce gradual return to work

Justice auxiliaries, who had been on strike demanding better pay and improved working conditions, announced on Thursday a gradual return to work in all courts on Thursday, Feb. 5, and Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, limited to urgent cases only, before a full resumption of normal operations at all courthouses starting Tuesday, Feb. 10.

In a statement, the justice auxiliaries specified that they would "gradually resume work" and said they were acting "out of a sense of responsibility toward the public service."

They also thanked the justice minister, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the president of the Cooperative Fund for Justice Auxiliaries for their efforts "to find serious solutions," and praised "the perseverance of all justice auxiliaries in Lebanon in the face of difficulties."

Due to this strike, and alongside one launched at the end of January by the Judges Club, several hearings in high-profile cases, such as that of former Central Bank governor Riad Salameh in the Forry affair, were postponed.

During the budget review, the Judges Club called for a strike "in all courts and judicial administrations," seeking "better salaries for judges and justice auxiliaries, as well as providing the necessary logistics for courthouses."

Judges have repeatedly denounced the deterioration of their incomes, affected by the economic crisis since 2019 and the depreciation of the Lebanese lira.

They have also raised alarms over their working conditions and the dilapidated state of courthouses and judicial administrations, which are now unsanitary and lacking water, electricity, or even basic supplies.